Star of the upcoming film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Daisy Ridley asserted that “everyone has an issue with Trump — every sane person anyway.”
Speaking with The Guardian in an interview published over the weekend, the English actress took aim at both President Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. When asked if she finds it difficult to speak out about politics given that the Star Wars franchise is owned by family-friendly Disney, Ridley said, “No. I don’t feel I have to edit what I say — the things that make me angry are the things that make everyone angry.”
“Everyone is annoyed with BoJo,” she continued, referencing Johnson, leader of the nation’s Conservative Party. “Everyone has an issue with Trump — every sane person anyway. It’s not that I don’t talk about this stuff, but other people are so much more articulate than me and say it better.”
Ridley, whose role as Rey in 2015’s The Force Awakens made her the face of the newest installment of the Star Wars series, also spoke out about inequality in Hollywood and how her participation in the lucrative franchise has afforded her the possibility to turn down other roles for various reasons, including equal pay and sexism.
“Star Wars has given me the opportunity to do smaller things and allowed me to say no, which is glorious. I don’t talk a lot about various things because there are people fighting the good fight, and I know I have safety in that the people I have worked with have loud voices,” she said, alluding to what her interviewer called “equal pay and #MeToo in the industry.”
“Well, there was another film I really wanted to do, but there were a number of factors that meant I didn’t believe it was right. Well, it wasn’t equal and all that stuff, so I said no, even though that’s really scary. But how much of a blessing is it to be able to say no?” she added.
Ridley joined her Rise of Skywalker co-star Mark Hamill, who reprises his role of Luke Skywalker in the movie, and director J.J. Abrams in criticizing the president with her comments. Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Abrams teamed up with former and current Star Trek stars in denouncing Trump’s candidacy for president. He later endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Hamill has also been an outspoken critic of the president, calling Trump worse than franchise villain Darth Vader last year because the Sith Lord “saw the error of his ways” and “repented.” The actor has also called for Trump’s Hollywood star to be removed and replaced with one for his late co-star Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the films.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set to premiere next week on Friday, Dec. 20.
